Rings of the Master Wikia:Staff
('''Notice:' We are hiring! These jobs are volunteer, but we currently have no Staff and are willing to allow unusually quick promotions while the shortage persists. You could be an Admin in no time!)'' This page exists so that you can know who to go to for help with whatever problems might arise, how to become a member of staff, and what each job requires and entails. You won’t need to read the whole thing, only the specific sections for specific jobs you might be interested in. Entailed below is also an explanation of the Strike and Consequence Flag system that applies to all users who cause havoc, but pertain especially to Staff members. If you cause no problems you won’t even need to look at it, but if vandalism is your hobby then you’ll become very well acquainted with it. Current Staff Master System: What the Founder and any successor Bureaucrats are listed as. They (will eventually) have a “Master System” tag and a distinctive Dark Green coloration. We figure the highest rank should be Master System, because though it may be reprogrammed there is no destroying it and its rule is solitary and supreme. The Current Master System is Ursuul. No one else! It’s just lil ol’ me here, but rest assured I intend to hire the moment I have an application. Staff General/Brigadier: These are the two Admins named after General Wharfen and Brigadier Chi. In the series they were both endowed by Master System with authority over Vals and occupied the highest position a human could obtain. Admins receive either the “General” or “Brigadier” tag (first come first serve) next to their names and distinctive Dark Green coloration. They have the rights of all ranks below them including the right to promote or demote Staff members or ban users. There will never be more than two Admins and one Bureaucrat. There are currently no Admins! Will you be the first? Vals: The lesser admins, these are the Wikia’s Content Mods. They are named after the in-series robotic enforcers used by Master System, and they answer to no one except the Admins and Master System itself. Vals receive a “Val” tag next to their names along with distinctive Grey coloration. They can delete, move, protect, undelete, and reupload any pages or files on the Wikia. They also have the power of all ranks below them (Chat Mod, Discussions Mod, and Rollback). This makes them an Admin, just without the ability to change other people’s rights, or block them. There are currently no Vals! Will you be the first? Wassun: These Discussion Mods are named after the in-series Truth Bearers from Matriyeh who suppress thought, though they shouldn’t actually do anything of the sort. Wassun receive a “Wassun” tag and a distinctive Purple coloration. They have the power to delete, edit, close, or highlight forum threads, as well as the powers of Chat Mods and Rollbacks. There are currently no Wassun! Will you be the first? Please consider applying! Chiefs: This is our name for Chat Mods. They are named after the Matriyehan Chiefs who suppressed innovation, although these Chiefs will be doing no such suppression. Chiefs have ultimate authority over their tribe, those in the Chat, but only in this limited area, and so the name is fitting. They are given a “Chief” tag and a distinctive Dark Brown coloration. Chiefs have the rights to kick or ban users from Chat. There are currently no Chiefs! Will you be the first? Please consider applying! SPF: System Peacekeeping Forces maintain and protect the System, and so our Rollbacks are named after them. SPF Agents are given a “SPF” tag and a distinctive Light Brown coloration. They have the rights to rollback any vandalism with ease, and should they report a user causing repeated problems they will be taken most seriously. If you see vandalism, these are the best people to report to. There are currently no SPF Agents! Will you be the first? Please consider applying! User Edit Rewards ('''Please note:' These rewards are purely cosmetic, and except for the Martyr rank, grant no special rights or privileges. Each new rank replaces previous ranks, and if you are a Staff member then your staff position takes precedence. Contact an Admin whenever you reach a threshold to claim your reward)'' Please also be aware that Ursuul is still mastering this Wikia, so it may be some time before the rewards can be allocated properly. Free Booter: Congratulations! You live outside the system. With 100 Edits you’re not too shabby, and you get a White tag labelled “Free Booter” next to your name. Known Free Booters: None. Seeker: Congratulations! Like those hidden in Technologist Cells, you have been clued to the existence of the Rings and are actively seeking them out! After reaching the 250 Edit mark you’re certainly doing well for yourself, so you get a Yellow tag labelled “Seeker” next to your name. Pirate: Congratulations! You now have the naval means to acquire the Rings. With Star Eagle on your side, it’s only a matter of time before you find one! 500 Edits is an excellent achievement, so you get a Light Orange tag labelled “Pirate” next to your name. Warrior: Congratulations! You have come far, the Rings are within your sight, and the defeat of Master System draws nearer! 750 Edits is outstanding for this little Wiki, so you get a Crimson tag labelled “Warrior” next to your name. Martyr: You’ve done it! A Ring is in your possession, and you stand at the Master Interface ready to overthrow the Great Machine once and for all! With 1,000 Edits you are considered a very powerful contributor, so you get to choose one of the five Martyrs’ names to be added as your tag! First Martyrs get first dibs, & if you dislike all the available names, or if they’ve all been taken, you will simply be given a “Martyr” tag instead. All tags are Sky Blue, and as an added bonus, your coloration will also be changed to Sky Blue. (At his level, please consider applying for a Staff position if you haven’t already. With this many Edits you can automatically get any entry-level job you want, no Résumés or Elections required! Or, if you want to go hard, you can apply directly for Discussions Mod without any prior Staff experience required! You still have to get your Résumé accepted and win an Election, but we think you’d be perfect for the job.) How to Climb the Staff Ladder So you want to help out the RotM Wikia, but you don’t know how? Here is a guide on working your way up the user access level ladder and ultimately becoming a member of RotM Wikia’s staff! Making a Résumé Being a Mod is a job. It’s an easy and volunteer job, but it’s still a job. It is fitting then, that you make and submit a Résumé explaining why YOU should be a member of our team. There are a few base requirements that you need to have in your application, but other than that you can write whatever you want. Here’s a guide: Firstly, be professional. We want maturity, which means decent grammar. Next thing, don’t make it short. Put some effort in your Résumé, so we know you’re serious about the job. Bare minimum, we want at least two paragraphs of three sentences explaining why you would be good in the position you want, and why you want it. Then add a short list of pros and cons. These pros and cons help us know two things; # You realize your strengths, and can be an efficient member of the community. Live up to what you say you can do and you will climb the ladder fast. (If you have powerful assets to offer the Wikia, like CSS knowledge or other forms of coding, exceptions can be made for you). # You also realize your weaknesses. A trustworthy person will acknowledge their faults and own them. Don’t slack off on this and write “I have no weaknesses.” Yes, you do, and we will find out about your weaknesses when you begin working and see that you did not address them. Point them out now so that you can build credibility and respect, and so that we can properly judge your worthiness. Honesty will be rewarded. Getting your Résumé accepted If your Résumé has the bare minimum as outlined above, and you meet the requirements for the position you’re applying for (although awesome Résumés will waive some or all requirements), then your Résumé will be accepted. In fact, most Résumés will be accepted','' so don’t sweat it. '''Elections' Once accepted, a public poll will be made asking whether you deserve the position. The polls have three options; “Yes,” “No,” and “Abstain.” So long as at least ten individuals participate in the poll, even if nine of them pick Abstain, the poll will be considered valid. After 72 hours, if there is a greater or equal vote for “No,” then your application is rejected and you may apply again in one week. We hope you will, since you usually win the second round. However, if there is a greater vote for “Yes” than “No,” then congratulations, you’ve got the job! The Admin who accepted your Résumé will appoint you to your new position momentarily, give you a rundown, and you may begin your duties immediately. Sparsity Should less than ten individuals participate, the poll will be considered sparse and the decision will be kicked up to the standing Staff members. If there are two or more, they will vote, with the Founder breaking ties. If there’s one or none, then the Founder alone decides whether you get the job or not. Cheating Honestly, this should never happen, and we expect it not ''to happen. However, if cheating '''is discovered (election polls will be audited), then the cheating applicant will be totally banned for one week and may not apply for a Staff position for two-to-twelve months. Also, the applicant will be permanently banned from applying for Admin and they lose the right to appeal for Absolution. No exceptions. If you are caught cheating it doesn’t matter if you start climbing the ladder again and make it all the way up to Val. If you apply for an Admin position your Résumé will be automatically rejected and you will be given a Strike. Continually asking to be given an Admin position anyway will result in a demotion and another strike. Don’t cheat and this won’t be a problem. The First Rung (Matriyehan Chief or SPF Agent) Now that you know how to write a Résumé, you have two options. You can apply for Chat Moderator (Chief) or Rollback (SPF). Chiefs are named after Matriyehan chiefs who suppressed innovation, although you will be doing nothing of the sort here, but being a fair and honest Chat Moderator. SPF are named after the System Peacekeeping Forces, those that maintain order and protect the System; in this case protecting our Wikia from vandalism via Rollback rights. In order to apply for Chief or SPF at all, you must have an Edit Count of at least 100. Previous history of removing/reporting vandalism or simply frequently using Chat will make you a stronger candidate and can easily get the edit requirement waived. Most Applicants will get this position. Requirements * You have been contributing positively for at least one week. * 100 Edits ** Or a waiver given by an Admin. * You submit a Résumé. * This Résumé is accepted by the Founder or an Admin. * An Election by the Community, wherein the majority vote “Yes.” ** Or an Election by the Staff in sparse cases. *** Or an Appointment by the Founder in sparse cases. The Second Rung: Discussions Mod (Wassun) Think you’ve done well at your job and that the community would benefit with you in a higher position? Then it may be time for the next stage; Wassun, the Discussions Mod of our Wikia. Discussions Mods have the responsibilities of a Chief and the SPF, with the added rights to edit, close, highlight, and remove Forum posts. As well as all that, they can delete comments on any pages, et cetera. They may be named after the Matriyehan Truth Bearers who control thought, but you’d best not try to pull a George Orwell in this position ;). This position is not generally open to newbies, meaning you cannot just start at this level right off the bat unless you’re a wizard at coding or you already have 1,000 edits. But in either case your Résumé better look like a freaking Socratic Masterpiece or it won’t have a prayer at getting accepted. Requirements * You have been a Chief/SPF Agent for at least a month. ** Or a waiver from the Founder or an Admin. * 250 Edits ** May be dropped to 100 Edits for excellent or long-term service by an Admin. * You have submitted a second Résumé, usually shorter, supplying more reasons why you’re cut out for your next job/promotion. * This Résumé is accepted by the Founder or an Admin. * An Election by the Community, wherein the majority vote “Yes.” ** Or an Election by the Staff in sparse cases. *** Or an Appointment by the Founder in sparse cases. The Third Rung: Content Moderator (Val) It’s a been a long time since you began your Rings of the Master Wikia career, and you think you’ve done a lot for this Wikia. It may be time to move up to Content Moderator, the lesser Admin. A Content Moderator can delete, undelete, move, protect, and reupload pages and files, making this a powerful position. Vals are Master System’s primary enforcers, but even Master System cannot afford to have too many, for there is great responsibility entrusted to them. Only proven and experienced staff members may apply. Requirements * You must not have received warnings or been banned from chat during the past month on the Wikia before being considered at all. * At least two months as a Discussions Mod. ** With CSS knowledge it will be dropped to one month by an Admin. * 500 Edits ** May be dropped to 250 Edits by an Admin for exceptional ''service. * You’ve submitted a third Résumé assessing how your contributions as a Discussions Mod has positively affected the Wikia. You should also list any problems you have fixed here. * This Résumé must be accepted by the Founder or an Admin. * You must now win ''two Elections, one by the Community and one by all Staff Members. ** If you win one but lose the other, the Founder makes the final decision. ** If one or more of the Elections are considered Sparse, meaning there is less than ten participants in the Community Election or less than three in the Staff Election, then the Founder will decide. *** Unless both are sparse, you must win one. The Final Step: Administrator (General/Brigadier) The journey has been long and hard. It’s been about a year since you made your first contribution to this Wikia. This the hardest staff position to achieve on the Rings of the Master Wikia. (Bureaucrat Status will be restricted to the Founder unless he resigns and names a successor. Until then, for the sake of leadership cohesiveness, Master System is the only System). An Admin is a Content Moderator who can make other people into Chiefs, SPF, and Wassun, or ban users altogether. It’s a great power, but requires serious responsibility. (Only two unique slots available). Requirements * No standing warnings, no Consequence Flag History (Absolution may be required), and you must never have rigged an Election. * You must have been a Content Mod for at least four months. Pease be patient; we want our Admins in peak condition before being promoted. ** Only one exception to this wait is available, and only if you are a coding wizard with outstanding service and a sparkling Résumé. Ask the Founder for details. * 1,000 Edits ** May be dropped to 750 by an Admin for exceptional service or coding knowhow. ** May be rarely dropped to 500 for both. * You must submit a fourth and final Résumé assessing how your contributions as a Content Mod have positively effected the Wikia. You should list any problems you have fixed here, provide in your application your future plans as an Administrator, and what you look forward to fixing, adding, or removing for the benefit of the Wikia. * This Résumé must be accepted by the Founder. Admins may not approve it. * Never let it be said that this Wikia is undemocratic. Nay, this is the ultimate democratic test. Both the Staff and the Community will vote, and Sparse Elections are not allowed. If a sparse election occurs, it is indicative that the Wikia is too small to warrant an additional Admin, so the application will be automatically rejected. Only if you win both ''elections, will you finally be appointed Full Admin by the Founder. If you succeed, then congratulations, you have reached the top of the Staff Ladder. * Please at least know or plan to learn enough .CSS (which MediaWiki uses) to be able to customize and modify anything involving it on the Wikia. Having a Staff Position Revoked As it stands, we are always looking for reliable long term staff who are willing to stop at nothing to maintain Rings of the Master Wikia and keep order. ''We will do whatever we can to keep you. But, if you have proven to be unfit for a job after having been promoted, your rights and power can be removed, and you will not be able to reapply for at least one week since you have acknowledged your loss of position. How Can I Be Revoked of My Staff Position? Prolonged Inactivity If you go inactive for more than one month without letting us know, you will be demoted to an average user to make room for more applicants. If you return, you will start where you left off, but must wait an extended period of time to get your job back. At worst, this lasts a few days. Please let an Admin know if you will be inactive for a long period of time. Resigning * You, simple as that, decide you just don’t want to have the job anymore. * You CAN write up a resignation letter explaining why you want to resign to supply context, but this is not required unless you want your job back later. * Please let the Bureaucrat know that you want to be demoted to an average user, and you will be. * You can appeal to get your position back should you change your mind somewhere down the line. ** The Community (or Staff in cases of Sparseness) will vote on whether they want you back or not. *** For something as trivial as Chat Moderator or Rollback, you will immediately be given your role back. This “reverse resigning” is only required for Discussions Mod and above. *** If the Staff itself is already too sparse to even hold an Election, then you will also be immediately given your job back regardless of position, we obviously need you. Abuse of Power Abusing one’s given rights will result in punishment based upon severity. Examples of Power Abuse include: Rollbacks (SPF) Rollbacking edits you do not personally agree with based on your opinion without consulting the editor first. The guys meant to fix edit wars should not start them. If you get in an edit war with a user or another Staff member, an Admin or Bureaucrat will break up the fight and determine who the culprit is. If the SPF Agent was found to be in the right, then they will be vindicated and the culprit will be temporarily banned. If it is discovered that the SPF Agent was in the wrong, then they will receive a Strike and be demoted to a general user for one day. This will continue until the SPF Agent receives their third Strike, at which point they will be permanently demoted and must wait one month before applying again. Chat Mods (Chiefs) # Kicking for no reason. # Banning for no reason. # Not applying the proper penalty when someone does break the rules. # Using your higher status in chat to break the rules because you cannot be penalized if no higher staff members are in the room as well. If any contributor notices this, please let an Admin know who is abusing their power. If you are discovered doing any of these activities, you will receive a Strike. If this happens again you will receive both a Strike and a three-day demotion. After strike three you are permanently demoted and may reapply after one month. Discussions Mods (Wassun) # All of the Chat Moderator examples, due to having those powers as well. # Closing and/or removing threads for no reason. # Repeated unnecessary or highlighting of threads based on favoritism. # Removing messages for no given reason. # Removing Violation Report threads about you to prevent being reported about in the first place. This results in an instant ban not just for breaking the rules but for trying to hide the fact you broke them. The first offense leads to a strike, the second leads to a weeklong demotion and another strike, and the third offense leads to all rights being revoked. Content Mods # All Chat Mod and Discussions Mod examples. # Deleting pages unnecessarily. # Creating redirects and moving pages to cause havoc. Content Mods have a lot of power, so screwing around comes with elevated consequences. Committing any of the above offenses will get you a strike, then a strike and a two-week long demotion, and then finally a third and final strike will revoke all user rights. Administrators # All above listed examples from any other staff position. # Modifying the core .CSS to remove code you know is necessary. # Banning people for way longer than they deserve. # Banning people for absolutely no reason at all. # Demoting staff members and not following this list. # Changing pages only Administrators and Bureaucrats can edit knowing you have the privilege. # Creating an environment where you use your power to instill fear and silence opposition. These actions will first result in a Strike, then in a two-week long demotion (either to Content Mod or Discussion Mod) and a second strike, and finally if a third strike is necessary all rights are revoked. This would be a serious issue, as Admins are vital assets to the Wiki, so you having to spend time climbing the Ladder again hurts the Wiki more than it hurts you, but we will do this if we deem it necessary. Strikes and Consequence Flags The abuse system is measured by the use of Strikes (warnings) and temporary demotions ranging from 1-14 days based on severity (outright bans for regular users). Each time you break one of the above rules you receive a Strike. One Strike will go away each month, and all will be removed if you are promoted. If you reach three Strikes total, you will be automatically stripped of all rights for one month and flagged as having been given a consequence. Should you go an entire three months without getting another Strike, then your “Consequence Flag” will become inactive, but will stay with you forever unless you receive Absolution. Each time you get a Strike while the Flag remains active, the three-month period resets, and if you get three total strikes before the Flag becomes inactive you’ll be temporarily banned outright and lose the right to apply all staff positions forever. Everyone with an active Consequence Flag, whether on staff or not, is effectively on probation. You lose the right to apply for Content Mod or above, and you will be watched closely. If you screw up, there will be consequences. Once your Flag goes inactive you will be back to normal and may once again apply for Content Mod, but so long as you have the Flag, even when inactive, you will be prevented from becoming an Administrator even if you begin climbing the Ladder again, and your actions on staff may be scrutinized from time to time. Absolution We believe in second chances here (and we can’t afford to fire what few staff we have), so Absolution is sort of a clean slate, and the only way to remove a Consequence Flag for good. If you receive a Consequence Flag, and you spend one of the three months under the active Flag in any Staff position, you may appeal for Absolution. If you do not spend the required time under the Flag on Staff atoning for your wrongs, then you must be promoted to Val before being allowed to appeal for Absolution. To appeal, you must write a formal apology to the Community explaining your errors and how you will improve in the future. Once you make your appeal, all Staff will vote, and if the majority votes for Absolution then you are absolved; your history of abuse will be totally forgotten, and all Consequence Flags are permanently removed, meaning you may now apply for Admin. If you lose the vote, then you may apply again next month with a new written apology. You may only receive Absolution once however, and certain serious crimes like rigging elections, receiving a full ban, or removing Violation Reports about you in an attempt to hide your crimes will revoke your right to appeal for Absolution forever. Category:Administration